Should I repair my 200k-mile 2012 Civic or finance a newer car on a $1,800–$2,200 monthly income?
I’m a student living in Texas, and I’m trying to make the most financially responsible decision about my car. I bought a 2012 Honda Civic about 13 months ago for $4,000. It had approximately 180,000 miles when I bought it, and it now has just over 200,000…
I’m a student living in Texas, and I’m trying to make the most financially responsible decision about my car. I bought a 2012 Honda Civic about 13 months ago for $4,000. It had approximately 180,000 miles when I bought it, and it now has just over 200,000 miles. I have driven it around 20,000 miles in a little over a year. About one to one-and-a-half months ago, the starter failed, and I paid around $400 to replace it. Afterward, the mechanic told me the flywheel/ring gear is also damaged and that it may damage the new starter again if I do not replace it. I was quoted approximately $700–$800 for that repair. The car probably has an as-is value of around $3,000–$3,500, so spending $800 on one repair feels like a lot compared with its value. However, I understand that an $800 repair is still much less expensive than replacing the entire car. There are also some other issues: ABS warning light/problem Check-engine light Transmission-fluid maintenance warning, and I have not changed the transmission fluid Occasional metallic/clanking noise, especially when the car is cold Fuel economy is usually around 21–28 mpg The starter was recently replaced for $400 The mechanic says the flywheel needs another $700–$800 repair My income is approximately $1,800–$2,200 per month. I am considering three options: Repair the Civic and continue driving it, knowing that additional repairs could happen. Buy a used car for approximately $10,000–$13,000, possibly a 2016–2018 Corolla, Civic, Mazda3, or something similar. Finance a new Kia K4 or another basic new car. I have seen some advertised around $20,000, although I know the actual out-the-door price would be higher. The appeal of a new car is the warranty, reliability, and not constantly worrying about breakdowns. However, I also understand that a new-car payment, full-coverage insurance, depreciation, registration, and interest could be too much for my income. I’m worried that buying another used car could put me in the same position if it develops problems, but I also do not want to make a bad financial decision by financing a new car that is too expensive for me. What would you do in this situation? I would appreciate advice from mechanics, high-mileage car owners, and people who have faced a similar financial decision.
Collected discussion
Watch some YouTube videos and get a few tools from Harbor Freight. You can save a lot of money with just a little effort. Replace the fluids, including a transmission drain and fill, and drive it until it dies. Save your money for something solid.
but the main problem is it barely starts because of the flywheel problem.
The wheels don't fall off if you maintain the vehicle. At least until it becomes problematic to acquire new parts.
A little louder on the “IF YOU MAINTAIN THE VEHICLE!”
The 3rd gen Mazda3 are reliable cars
And it's a fucking Civic. Parts are cheap and plentiful. It could be good for another 200k+ miles, if taken care of properly. Cars are always going to need maintenance at certain mileage intervals, which is unavoidable. Service manuals will usually recommend changing the timing belt every 60-100k miles, so even if you get a slightly newer car, it may also need something maintained anyway. You may think you're escaping the necessity for repairs by changing cars but it's often difficult to assess the condition of every part of a used car, so you may end up having to replace a starter or something else after you get it. Replacing the starter or something like an alternator by yourself could cost you maybe $200 or less and take a few hours. There's videos on YouTube for fixing everything. It may seem daunting, but so is paying $800-1000+ for a repair. It's usually ends up being a lot easier than you'd think and you feel really accomplished and proud of yourself that lasts for weeks. You'd just need to approach it like you're writing a paper or doing a project/assignment for one of your college courses. Go to AutoZone and have them check your car for the codes that are causing your check engine light to come on. Whatever's throwing the codes is probably why the MPG is lower than it's supposed to be.
And the $10k car will still need repairs and maintenance. So OP will just have a car payment on top of that.
Repair the car. It’s absolutely the better call than buying new.
OP already fell into the high milage Honda/Toyota trap. Premium price for someone's deferred maintenance. "Just oil changes and tires" while skipping transmission service, suspension work, brake fluid is probably straight acid, and coolant is probably the wrong type. The good thing is once they fixed they generally stay that way
Most definitely do #1. While it’s not a serious issue, it can be addressed by improving fuel economy, ABS, flywheel, etc. I’m confident it still has a significant life left. I own a 2012 Civic with 206,000 miles. I’ve performed several wear-and-tear repairs, including replacing the starter, all fluids, brakes, airbag clock spring, spark plugs, and shocks and struts. Despite these repairs, my Civic has been reliable and well-maintained for the past 100,000 miles and four years. My mechanic has noted the engine’s cleanliness, likely due to timely oil changes and the Valvoline restore and protect. I’ve considered getting a new car and have that new car itch, but I don’t feel the need. It’s more economical to repair my current car than to take out a loan. With the increasing cost of living, I plan to continue driving it until the wheels fall off. Civics is known for its longevity and can easily exceed 300,000 miles.
You can keep it until engine or transmission fail and those can be repaired. Those damages you are mentioning there are technically maintenance and will not go over the 5k-6k a year which is what a new car cost these days
Those civics are obscenely reliable. I had a 2012 as has my first car, have a REPUTABLE mechanic check it out before doing the repair and see what they say on how the condition is. If it’s only the flywheel and some minor stuff causing the ABS and CEL (ABS could be as simple as a speed sensor), eat the $800 and drive it till the wheels fall off. If it was a BMW or something, yes I’d say get rid of it because that’s the first of many $800 repairs. Does it happen to be manual by chance? If so, do the clutch while you’re there. Cheaper to do it now while it’s all out.
$800 is cheaper than than $10,000.
Respectfully you can’t afford a new car if you can’t afford that 800 dollar repair. It’s not that urgent for that flywheel. That can wait a little while. If you finance a car you are paying at least 500 after car payment and insurance so you’re leaving yourself with 1500 a month to pay for anything else for the month.
Buying a new car let alone a new Kia, might be the worst possible decision to make. If you are happy with your cars maybe lasting 100k miles go for it otherwise get an older used car or keep that civic till it explodes.
I’d probably repair now and save enough to buy a nicer 10K+ car in the future. Once the repairs start adding up yes it probably is a money sink. It’s very odd that the flywheel went out tbh. It sounds like you got something without an inspection and a few issues. Unfortunately someone probably just flipped their problem onto you, I’d be more cautious shopping for used cars in the future. The interest on a 10k car with a loan with your income will just mean you’ll be in this same spot again in a few years after spending 4x as much and then you’ll dump your clunker on someone, the cycle continues.
Id fix it those cars are relatively easy to keep going for a long time, my 2012 civic had engine light for an emissions issue but I just kept driving it and never had an issue with that. When I got rid of mine it had 270k on it and I had another vehicle.
The value of the car does not matter. Do you plan on keeping it longer? Is there a bunch of other shit wrong with it? For the price of the repair, can you buy a better car than you have now? More often than not, it's much more financially advantageous to repair the car you have.
It sucks putting money into an old car like that, but that income is so low you can’t finance a newer car. You’ll have no money leftover. I’d try to old on until you’re no longer a student and have a full time job
Repair is always financially better. Also, do not use the value of the car to calculate if it is worth it to repair it. Measure the amount of the repair against the cost of another new vehicle. Take into account all vehicles, new or old still need maintenance items and some need repairs too. New vehicles have warranty, sure, but with prices today, you will be paying around $4,800 per year for them when you finance.
On your income, any used car you buy is over 100k miles. At that mileage, usual wear items need to be replaced: timing belt, serpentine belt, spark plugs, coolant, trans fluid, shocks, and potentially ball joints. Fix your car and save up for a large down payment on a certified prewoned car. No car payment is a blessing in today's economy.
Do NOT finance a new car. They depreciate at least 20-40% as soon as you sign the papers. At your age and income, your interest rate will have you paying for 7 years….well into the car’s “stuff needs repair now” phase. And stay please light years away from Kia, Hyundai, Ford, GM, and Chrysler. Go to the library and find the Consumer Reports car book. It’s immensely helpful. Of the 3 used options you mentioned, I’d only consider Toyota or Honda. Incredibly reliable cars. Good luck.
An honest mechanic should be able to assess the whole car and tell you if it's got another 40-50k miles in it with these repairs. Of your statements this is the biggest red flag to me: "Occasional metallic/clanking noise, especially when the car is cold." To me with my limited knowledge this sounds like it could be transmission. Assuming this is an automatic you are getting up there in mileage with the original transmission. Just something to think about. If replacing it I'd stick with Honda or Toyota, maybe Mazda. I wouldn't buy a Kia, the quality IMO is not similar to Honda.
$800 is way cheaper than a new car that you can't afford
Only 200k? Repair. These prices for used and new are outrageous and no are finance rates.